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Ray Barone is a successful sportswriter living on Long Island with his wife Debra, daughter Ally, and twin sons, Geoffrey and Michael. Ray's meddling parents, Frank and Marie, and brother, Robert, live directly across the street.
“A comedy about a dad who just can't resist being irresistible.”
1999
Debra is upset when she sees Ray's giddy reaction to her friend's recently acquired "new and improved" breasts. Anxious to find out whether or not Ray is happy with her body, Debra decides to conduct a little experiment and makes some minor enhancement to her upper region.
The whole family choses sides when Ray and Debra fight over a newly acquired can opener.
After Frank stops by Ray and Debra's house to borrow some ointment for his thighs, he becomes unusually interested in spending time with Ray. Initially, Ray finds it weird and is concerned that his father has suffered a physical trauma to the head, but after two of Frank's friends from the lodge stop by, all becomes clear.
Ray and Debra are discouraged when they realize that their sex life isn't what it used to be. They reassuring each other that it's not an unusual occurrence for older couples to experience since the kids are always underfoot, they're sleep deprived, etc. Trying to make themselves feel better, they approach Frank and Marie asking them what constitutes a "normal" sex life for an older couple.
Ray and Debra are drafting their wills and must decide who would make the best guardians for their children. After pondering long and hard over their options, Ray and Debra choose the two people who they feel would be the best candidates to raise their children, should anything happen to them. But their choice doesn't meet with everyone's approval.
Jennifer, Debra's free spirited sister, shows up at the Barone household with rosary beads and prayer cards as gifts for the kids. When she announces her intentions of becoming a nun, Debra accuses her sister of going through yet another phase.
When Ray hires his overwhelmingly annoying cousin Gerard to assist him, and Debra points out how alike the two men are, Ray is mortified. The whiny, nasal voice, the need to find something negative to say about everything, the stupid questions, you could be speaking about either Ray or Gerard.
Ray is bewildered, but not altogether displeased when Debra starts initiating sex on a more than regular basis. He can't believe his luck, he is even willing to give up his golf game to satiate Debra's newfound desires. But he can't leave well enough alone, and decides to look into the reason behind his wife's sudden burst of energy.
Inspired by how well the Barones got along at the Thanksgiving dinner, Debra is intent on finding a way to improve her relationship with Marie, and decides to spend a whole day cooking with her. Meanwhile, Ray gets roped into having Frank and Robert accompany him to a car show, where he has his own method of getting along with his family.
While discussing the possibility of having to hold Michael back for another year of pre-school, Ray is shocked to discover that he too was held back when he was that age.
Ray decides to get his parents a family picture for Christmas. Marie loves the idea, until Debra's parents show up to be in the picture as well.
When Amy raises the notion with Debra, that Robert's reluctance to commit to her, may be because he's gay, Ray doesn't believe it. But, after giving it some more thought, and upon closer observation of Robert, his prior conviction is cast into doubt.
Ray and Debra have differing points of view on how best to handle the situation, when they learn that Ally has been bullying another child on the school bus. Ray thinks Ally's pushiness comes from Debra, and she thinks that if she doesn't instil independence in Ally, she'll end up being a wuss, just like her Raymond.
Everyone gets on Ray's case because he's doesn't go to Sunday Mass. When Ray starts feeling guilty and sees the good example his father Frank is setting by attending church, he commits to becoming a regular parishioner. But when he shows up at the church, he soon figures out the real reason his father likes attending Mass.
After Robert gets hurt by a bull while on duty, Ray starts feeling tremendous guilt after Robert's partner reveals that he was only on duty because Ray cancelled their plans, so that he could race go-karts.
On the 10th. anniversary of their wedding, Ray and Debra sit down in the living room to watch their wedding video, but the romantic evening soon turns sour when the wedding video has been recorded over. Instead of a wedding, they are watching the 1991 Super Bowl. Debra gets really angry at Ray, and their marriage looks to be in serious trouble.
Ray screws up a Hackidu trade for his daughter by refusing to trade several cards for one Scramisaur card, which is rare and worth a lot of money. Ray thinks he's being the perfect father by taking an interest in Ally's Hackidu hobby, and advising her on the card swap, but she is disappointed as the Scramisaur is not only rare and valuable, but also her favourite Hackidu.
Debra throws the Barone family into turmoil when she creates a dish that everyone likes. Ray can't believe it when he tastes Debra's braciola, his wife has finally cooked something he likes. But Marie is not happy when she sees the effect Debra's cooking prowess has on Ray, Robert, and Frank.
Ray and Debra's plan of getting Frank and Marie their own friends backfires when instead of going to their house, they bring their new friends to Ray and Debra's.
When Debra realizes that all her time is spent with the kids, Ray, and his family, she tells Ray to take the kids out more often so that she can have more time to herself. Ray doesn't understand why Debra needs more time to herself, and when Marie hears about it, she starts thinking that something is wrong with their marriage, and when Ray finds out what his wife is doing with her alone time, he starts to get worried.
Still recuperating from his recent run-in with a bull, a cantankerous Robert is driving everyone crazy with his mean-spirited behaviour. When his doctor tells him that he needs two more weeks of of recovery, which means two more weeks at his parents' house, his attitude worsens. But Debra things that there is another reason for Robert's bad attitude.
When Ray witnesses Debra's hypersensitive mood and generally annoyed reaction to everything he says and does, he checks the calendar and realizes it's going to be a long couple of days ahead. In his desperate attempt for a "quick fix," he makes a bad situation worse by suggesting that a simple pill will help with his wife's insufferable mood swings.
During his first day back on active duty, Robert loses his nerve and decides to quit the police force.
While out for a family dinner, the Barones spot Robert's ex-wife Joanne, which prompts them to reminisce about the demise of his marriage. The family tells Amy the truth about Robert's failed marriage. The surprise sighting also brings back some personally harrowing memories for Robert.
1997
Ray is devastated when he discovers his family lied to him about his television debut on a sports talk show. When he gets a second chance to appear on the same show, his family decides it's time they gave him some pointers on how to correct his awkwardness with certain words.
When Marie and Frank's stubbornness goes to far, Ray gets to use the "active technique" he and Debra learned in parenting class on his parents.
At the urging of his parents and Debra, Raymond reluctantly takes Robert for a night out on the anniversary of his brother's divorce.
When Ally wants to quit learning the piano, Ray decides to resume his interest in the piano in order to teach his daughter a lesson about quitting.
Ray suffers an anxiety attack while playing golf, after he tricked Debra into letting him go. Believing that he is sick, Ray goes to see a doctor who tells him that he is properly suffering from stress and that he needs to find a way to relax, such as playing more golf.
At a big surprise party for Frank and Marie's 40th. wedding anniversary, Ray is shocked to learn that his parents were once separated for a year and that they might have gotten divorced, if Frank hadn't returned because Ray broke his arm.
After Debra reads a newspaper article about people who enjoy being at work more than being at home, she convinces Ray to set up a home office.
Sick of reading Ally the same stories night after night, Debra decides to try her hand at writing a children's book.
Ray, feeling guilty about only getting his dad a card for his 65th. birthday, makes up for it by buying him a fancy and expensive aquarium just like the one he always admired in the Chinese restaurant. Frank, at first adores the gift, but after one of the fish dies, he starts hating it.
Ray makes a startling discovery when he takes Debra to his 20th. high school reunion. It turns out that Debra's "one of them," them being the cool people who hated him and used to push him into the girls' bathroom.
When Marie crashes and ruins her Tupperware party, Debra decides that she's had just about enough of her mother-in-law's constant interference. She puts pen to paper and writes a letter to her mother-in-law.
All Ray wants for Christmas is a little loving from his wife and he's willing to try anything to have his holiday wish come true.
Feeling left out when he thinks that his father selectively asked his brother to join a Civil War re-enactment, Ray voluntarily enlists for the Battle of Gettysburg. As the men prepare for Battle, a funny thing happens, Ray is finally able to tell Frank that he wishes they did more together.
When Ally has to do a school project on genealogy and interview her oldest living relative, Ray helps her track down his father Frank's long-lost Aunt Sarina in Italy, and they decide to write her a letter. Things get interesting when Aunt Sarina takes the letter and the "stop by if you if you're ever in America" literally.
When Raymond chooses his mother's spaghetti and meatballs over his wife's lemon chicken for dinner, Debra blows a gasket. With good intentions, Ray asks his mom to teach Debra how to make her world-famous dish.
When Raymond takes over the family chequebook to prove to Debra how "easy it can be," he discovers he is no accountant after quickly running out of money and cheques start to bounce.
Raymond decides to accompany his brother Robert, who is a policeman, on a ride-along. Initially, spending night shift in the back of Robert's patrol car bores Raymond, but his boredom quickly turns to terror during a chance visit to Nemo's restaurant.
The scary monsters in her room send Ally scurrying nightly to the safety of her parents' bed, so sleep-deprived Ray decides it's time to call in an expert.
Debra discovers that her mother-in-law, Marie, likes Robert's girlfriend, Amy, better than than her, because Amy is a "good girl."
Debra brings pretzels to Ally's T-ball game, and when the person in charge of snacks tells her that pretzels aren't on the approved list, Ray doesn't stand up for her, prominently displaying his fear of being disliked by anyone.
Robert proves to be a crashing bore when it comes to teaching traffic school, so he decides to practice his presentation on the Barone family, which drives them crazy. In an attempt to lighten things up, he puts in an assist-officer call to Traffic Cop Timmy, a puppet dressed as a policeman.
When six-foot-tall Raymond discovers that he's shrunk a quarter of an inch, the resultant midlife crisis grows until it turns into an end-of-life crisis. So, before he gets put six feet under, he decides to make a list of his dreams and goals in life.
As the entire family prepares for Honest Frank's Yard of Bargains, Ray is surprised to see Debra unloading their cribs and baby clothing for the sale, and even more surprised to hear that she assumed they were done having children.
After Ray asks Debra why she ever married him, they take a walk back in time to the very beginning of it all. Ray is very nervous, he's about to propose to his lovely girlfriend Debra, and nothing is going right. When he finally pops the big question, she accepts, the families celebrates, and all is well, for about five minutes.
While the Barones prepare for a friend's wedding, Ray kiddingly asks Debra, "Why did you marry me?" When she hesitates, he flashes back to the not-so-magical night 10 years prior, when he popped the big question.
1996
Debra is sick and tired of having Raymond's parents and brother show up unannounced. With her birthday coming up, they try avoiding having them over.
When newly-wed friends make a public display of their affection, Debra wonders why reticent Raymond has trouble saying those three little words.
Even dead people love Raymond, as he is chosen to deliver the eulogy at his great uncle's funeral. It's an occasion that serves as a reunion for Ray's mother and her feuding sister, Alda.
For a criminal-psychology course, Robert issues standard IQ tests to Raymond and Debra, and boy, is Ray smarting when they get the results.
Nemo's niece, Angelina, takes employment at Nemo's restaurant as a waitress. When Angelina catches Ray's eye, he has a lot of explaining to do to his wife, especially after Angelina calls him at home.
When Frank gets a few anecdotes published in Reader's Digest, he submits his writing samples to Ray's editor, hoping to get his own column in the newspaper.
Marie gets fed up with Frank after 40 years of marriage and moves in with Ray and Debra. Ray and Robert enjoy being mothered by Marie, while Debra spends quality time with Frank.
When Ray's upper class in-laws come for a visit, he begs his parents to be nice to them. Ray admits to his parents that he doesn't always see eye-to-eye with Debra's folks but manages to fake it, and he'd like his parents to do the same when they all go out and try to have a family dinner.
Ray gets tired of being treated like a kid at his father's poker game, so he decides to ignore his father's advice and ends up losing all his money.
Although Marie has always cooked the traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, Debra decides it's her turn to prepare the holiday meal, but not wanting to compete with Marie's turkey, she chooses to serve fish.
When Ray's free time goes to coaching Nemo's basketball team in preparation for the Pizza League championships, he is reminded by Debra that their kids are growing up fast and he's missing precious time with them.
Ray discovers that the autographed Mickey Mantle ball he got as a kid from his father isn't authentic. Feeling hurt by the fact that his father wasn't truthful about the ball, Ray decides he's going to tell Ally the truth about Santa Claus.
When Debra comes down with the flu and is bedridden, so now the inexperienced Raymond must take care of her and the three kids.
Ray can't face the fact that everybody thinks that his brother Robert is "classically handsome," while they consider him "adorable like a hamster."
Debra, already annoyed at getting stuck driving the old car Ray bought from his parents, really gets upset when she discovers that it was his old "make-out-mobile."
Ray finds out that the diamond on Debra's engagement ring is a fake, so he steals it from her to get it changed, only to find out after that she already had it exchanged it with her grandma's $15,000 diamond.
When Ray and his family play a game of Scruples after their cable goes out, they find themselves arguing about honesty. To make matters worse, when Ray complains to the cable company about the disruption in service, he is informed that he has an illegal hookup.
When Debra tries to change Ray's pessimistic attitude about winning the Sports Writer of the Year Award, he agrees to change his ways and become more positive, but he soon has to suffer the downside of being the only optimist in his family.
Ray brings home a stray bulldog that reminds him of the dog he had to give up as a boy due to his allergies, but his brother Robert bonds with the dog and the siblings have to decide who gets to keep him.
The neighbourhood is up in arms over Ray's noisy dad and meddling mom, and the neighbours demand a meeting at Ray's and Debra's house.
A popular radio psychologist visits the Barone household to interview Debra for a book on the American family. But the doctor finds that the rest of the eccentric Barones are more captivating.
In this flashback episode, Ray and Debra remember their days in their first apartment.
1998
When Ray's house is tented for termites, he and his family moves into his parent's house and gives Frank and Marie a taste of their own medicine. Marie's initial excitement that "Raymond has come home!" quickly fades, when the world's greatest home intruders start to feel intruded upon.
After Frank has one car accident too many, Debra decides that the kids can't ride with him anymore, which makes Ray realizes that his dad is getting older.
Feeling overwhelmed with her responsibilities, Debra decides to get a babysitter. But when Lisa, the babysitter, becomes the smash hit at "Space Station Barone" with her alien-catching games and endless energy, Debra starts to get jealous.
After Raymond begrudgingly agrees to be the auctioneer at the Our Lady of Faith School auction, he's pleasantly surprised with the laughs he gets at Debra's expense. Debra tells him that she's going to get even, but later retracts her warning, but it's too late, Ray is convinced that Debra is plotting her revenge.
When Debra's mother comes to visit the family for a week, she is disappointed that her mother doesn't want to help around the house or that she doesn't show any interest in her grandchildren. Debra finds herself shocked to discover that she wishes her mom was more like Marie.
After Debra suggests that she might be more consistently romantic if she weren't in charge of the birth control, Ray decides to "cut the wires." But after a discussion with Robert and other guys, chickens out. But he does muster enough courage to go to the drugstore and buy "the stuff."
Feeling pathetic because he lives with his parents, Robert finally musters up the courage to move out on his own. Encouraged by Ray, and much to his parents' horror, Robert packs up his bags, takes his dog and moves into a garage apartment.
It has been Ray's life long dream to get an article published in Sports Illustrated. So when his friend and coworker Andy, the "stats guy" at work and novice sportswriter, sells a piece to the magazine, Ray is devastated.
Raymond is in a bad mood. Forced to wait home all day for the delivery of Debra's new curtains, he can't go play golf and laments to his brother, that marriage is like a prison. So, when Amy breaks up with Robert, everyone blames Raymond.
Since Debra's parents will be out of the country on Thanksgiving Day, she, Ray, and the kids make plans to spend the holiday at Frank and Marie's house. But their dreams of turkey with sausage stuffing and yams with marshmallows on top are quickly shattered by Marie's new heart-healthy diet.
Robert has moved into a new apartment, and Raymond is jealous. Not because of the apartment, but because everywhere he looks, beautiful women are coming out of the woodwork, and they all seem to come by Robert's apartment.
Ray is overjoyed by the reaction he is getting from friends and family who received a personalized "Barone" toaster from him for Christmas, even Debra's parents seemed thrilled with it, but not having heard from them, Ray decides to visit his parents to find out what they truly think about present.
When Ray finds out that his father let him win a game of ping pong when he was twelve, he challenges him to a new game.
When Marie discovers that Ray held an unchaperoned party at their home some 20 years ago, she is hurt and disappointed that her favourite son lied to her. Unable to forgive or forget, Marie can no longer put Ray on a pedestal, and he's been bumped for big brother Robert, and it's killing the needy Raymond.
Robert's entire demeanour changes when he starts clubbing with his patrol partner, Judy, and her friends. When he starts using expressions such as "this is so whack" and "I'm down with it," and showing up in mustard coloured suits, the Barone family find it hard to believe how much Robert is changing in order to fit in with his new friends.
Frank is elected Man of the Year down at the Lodge, and Marie enlists the reluctant Ray and Robert to prepare his tribute.
Just as Frank and Marie are about to embark on a Caribbean cruise, Frank hurts his knee and can't go. Ray, not wanting to disappoint his mother, accompanies her on the cruise. Marie is having the time of her life soaking every ounce of fun in the sun, while back home, Robert is just about out of patience being the caretaker for the injured Frank.
When Debra and the kids go away for the weekend, Ray is looking forward to a couple of days of bachelor living. But instead of enjoying himself, the night is turns into a harrowing experience, and Ray is forced to confront the real reason he doesn't want to stay home alone.
Trying to impress Robert when they visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Ray uses his "weight" as a sports writer for Newsday to jump to the front of the line to meet the members of the ’69 Miracle New York Mets.
When Ray confides to Debra that her constant need to cuddle and "be on top of him" when they are sleeping is causing him many sleepless nights, Debra is more than happy to comply with his request to give him his space in bed.
Debra and Ray feel tremendous pressure to show each other a good time on a romantic weekend getaway in Vermont. From the moment they set foot in the quaint bed and breakfast, it's apparent that Debra and Ray are trying a bit too hard for this to be a perfect weekend.
When Debra gets a part-time job at an AD agency, an unhappy Ray is left to fend for himself and Marie is left wondering what's to become of the children, the house, and her beloved son now that they will be neglected.
When Ray and Debra realize they're nicer to strangers than to each other, they vow to change their ways.
After Ray urges Debra to go swing dancing with Robert, he can't believe how infatuated the two become with their new hobby, and it's starting to tick him off. Meanwhile, Ray sees a side of Marie that he never expected.
When Robert and Amy have sex in Robert's apartment, they forgot to close the curtains. It doesn't take long for the other tenants to launch a partition to make curtains mandatory. Humiliated, the loving couple are desperate to find a new make-out spot. Debra wants Ray to help them, so he offers Robert and Amy the Barone household basement.
Memories of how they first met flood back when Ray and Debra prepare Ally for her first play date with a boy.
2000
When Marie surprises the family with the news that she's treating them all to a two-week vacation to Italy, everybody loves the idea except Raymond. Not willing to let his sour mood spoil it for the rest of the family, Debra, Frank, Marie, Robert, and the kids go on their merry way and soak up the atmosphere, the sights, and tastes of the country.
Ray is complaining about the heat, Debra is getting tired of following Marie's strict schedule and of Ray's pessimistic attitude, Robert meets Stefánia's father, who is not thrilled with his daughter choice of man, and Frank is enjoying himself playing pétanque. After going on a long walk with his mother, Ray slowly starts to enjoy himself and appreciate where he is, no thanks to Marie.
Ray finally tells Frank and Marie how he feels about their constant intrusiveness after Marie accidentally drives the car through the front of his house.
Robert finds himself in the most unlikely position of having to choose between his girlfriend Amy, ex-wife Joanne, or Italian summer love, Stefánia. Robert decides that honesty is the best policy when it comes to his relationship with Amy, so he tells her about his recent reunion with ex-wife Joanne, which does not go over well with Amy. To make matters worse, when Amy runs to Debra for consolation, Debra mistakenly spills the beans about Robert's recent fling with Stefánia.
Ray inadvertently commits petslaughter on Ally's hamster while Debra and the kids are away for the weekend. When Ray breaks the difficult news to Ally about Pumpernickel's untimely demise, Debra insists that they give the beloved pet a proper burial, complete with eulogies, but Ray thinks that it's ridicules to morn a pet.
The competition for attention between Ray and Robert reaches an all-time high with the brothers ending up in a fight. Ray's dreams of authoring a sports book get squashed when the publishing company takes a pass on it. To make matters worse, Robert receives the good news that he is being promoted to lieutenant.
Ray is mortified when he meets a girl whom he dated 25 years earlier and believes he treated with disrespect. Meeting Elizabeth again, Ray, wracked with guilt because he feels he didn't behave properly on their high school date, is determined to apologize. However, when he finds out the real reason Elizabeth went out with him that night long ago, he regrets ever bringing up the past.
Robert starts to date a 22 year old woman and Marie and Debra don't think it's right. Things take a turn when he finds out that she's really 19 and she finds out that he's really 43.
While celebrating Thanksgiving, Ray discovers that Debra's seemingly contented parents are really not happy with each other. When things come to a head at the Thanksgiving table, it's apparent that there really isn't that much of a difference between Ray's parents and Debra's parents.
Ray gets sneezed on at the airport and he fears he might have caught something so Debra tries to take care of him but Marie takes over.
Ray buys Debra an elaborate Christmas gift in the hopes that she will be so impressed, she will let him go on a weekend golf trip with his buddies. Ray believes he has the whole scenario worked out. However, he doesn't figure on the even more extravagant gift that Debra has purchased for him.
When Ray doesn't react to Debra's choking everyone makes fun of him so he tries to be more attentive in relative situations.
Ray gets to go to the Super Bowl and cover it for his newspaper. He brings Gianni but feels bad about not having brought Debra when he sees that all the other reporters brought their wives so he has her flown in and to prove that he wants to spend time with her he rips up the tickets to the Super Bowl.
When Marie blurts out an embarrassing incident from Ray's past, he can't figure out how she came by that information. He is mortified when he realizes that she used to read the personal diary he kept as a teenager.
Ray and Debra discover that they have nothing to talk about except the kids.
Ray is upset when he finds out that Debra signed up Michael and Geoffery to play fairies in a school play.
Robert gets a surprise visit from Stefánia, the woman with whom he fell head over heels in love when the Barones went on holiday in Italy. Robert's excitement over having his summer love Stefania so close quickly gives way to annoyance when he is witness to a few of her idiosyncrasies. Meanwhile, Stefania's father, who has accompanied her to America, has his own change of heart with respect to his feelings for Robert.
Ray purchases a new state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner from an attractive door to door saleswoman and it ignites a housekeeping war between Marie and Debra. Determined to prove to Marie that she's is just as good at "keeping house," Debra attempts to use the new vacuum to find some dirt, any dirt, in Marie's home.
Tempers flare when Marie accuses Debra of not returning a borrowed canister that holds sentimental value. Debra insists that she has already returned the canister, so she is horrified when she discovers that she still has the canister in her possession.
Debra becomes angry when Ray contributes $1,000 to his friends' harebrained scheme to open a go-cart business, without first consulting her.
Marie gathers Robert's ex-girlfriends Amy and Stefánia and his police partner Judy, so they can dissect his character in an effort to help her better understand why her eldest son can't commit to a relationship. Unfortunately, Robert unexpectedly drops in and is forced by his mother to listen to his character being assassinated by the women as they discuss his relationship hang-ups.
When Ray realizes that his kids would rather spend time with their Uncle Robert than with him, he decides to do something about the situation. When Robert makes the observation that Ray finds it boring to be around his kids, Debra couldn't agree more and suggests that Ray follow Robert's example.
Debra gets upset when she finds out that her parents have separated.
When Ray and Debra find Frank painting their house, they find out that Marie put him up to the job due to his retirement. But when Frank paints it the colour they don't like, Ray fires him. That's when Marie reveals the truth behind Frank's retirement.
As Ray escorts Ally to a father-daughter dance, he realizes how grown up and independent his daughter has become. As a result, he begins to recall the day, nine years ago, when the Barone clan welcomed her into the family, but not without incident.
2004
Upon returning from visiting friends at a retirement community in New Jersey, Frank and Marie tell the family that they plan on moving there. Not unsurprisingly, everyone is overjoyed hearing the news.
When Ray and Debra visit Frank and Marie's condo in the retirement community, they learn that they are going to be kicked out due to a number of complains from the other residents.
When Debra and Marie have a big fight, Ray is worried that Debra's anger will cause her to forget about their sex date that night. But rather than forgetting, the opposite happens when that anger is making the sex even better. Ray really enjoys the angry sex, so he starts doing things which makes Debra angry on purpose.
Ray is elected to tell Debra that members of the P.T.A. have problems with the way she dresses.
After Ally comes home with an F on her report card, Debra feels she is not paying enough attention. Ray, however, feels it might be the teacher.
The women pressure Ray and Frank to accompany Robert to one of his therapy sessions. Instead, the three of them go to the track. However, even though they skip the therapy sessions, the three unwittingly get closer.
Debra invites her divorced parents to the family Thanksgiving. When Ray walks in on the two having sex, he is traumatised and tells Debra about it. She assumes happily that her parents are getting back together.
Ray gets jealous when Marie starts treating Robert better than him, and when he finds out that Marie gave Robert a gift basket, he deduces that Marie is just manipulating Robert and Amy into getting her grandchildren.
Amy's parents ask Ray to give their son some advise on dating. Debra likes the idea of helping Peter finding a girlfriend and throws a cocktail party, inviting some single women to meet him, but Ray isn't thrilled with the guest list.
Debra wants Ray to clean up after himself and not leave things around the house, Ray wants Debra to stop moving his things. So when Robert stop by with a gift for Raymond, a letter from his idol, Mohammed Ali, Ray makes a point of putting the letter in the kitchen drawer. Unfortunately, when Debra later goes looking for a coupon in that same drawer, she finds it a mess and decides to dump its content in the trash.
The twins' new friend has a janitor for a father. When Ray accidentally says a bad joke in front of the father he tries to cheer him up, but keeps making things worse.
Marie is astounded when Franks puts salt on her homemade lasagna, leading her to believe that she's lost her touch in the kitchen. However, Ray and Robert discover that the problem is Frank, who has lost his sense of taste.
After Amy spends an hour chatting with Ray while he is trying to watch the basketball game, he tells Robert that she talks to much, which of course, Robert repeats to Amy, leading to a confrontation between Ray and "Lady Chatterly."
Ray's latest manipulative plan involves constantly turning down Debra in the bedroom.
Robert discovers Pat smoking and she pleads for him not to tell anyone. When Amy later smells smoke on Robert, she tells everyone that he has been smoking. When Pat doesn't tell the truth, Robert ends up being yelled at. The next day, he tells Ray and Debra the truth, but it doesn't take long for the two to blurt out the secret in front of everyone, which leads to many more secrets being revealed.
Ray fears getting his adenoids removed, but Debra convinces him to go through with the surgery. At the hospital, while Marie is in the bathroom, and everyone else in the waiting room, the nurse comes out and tells Debra that Ray isn't waking up from the anaesthesia.
Ray Romano
Ray Barone
Patricia Heaton
Debra Barone
Brad Garrett
Robert Barone
Madylin Sweeten
Ally Barone
Sawyer Sweeten
Geoffrey Barone
Sullivan Sweeten
Michael Barone
Doris Roberts
Marie Barone
Peter Boyle
Frank Barone
Monica Horan
Amy MacDougall-Barone
2002
Depressed that Marie and Debra can't resolve their differences, Robert decides to join a support group and his cousin Gerard convinces him to attend a Inner Path meeting. The Romano family is concerned that Robert has joined a cult, and Marie insists that Raymond join Robert doing an upcoming meeting, so that he can keep an eye on his brother.
After arguing with Ray over his inability to help her with the household tasks, Debra becomes intrigued when their friends, Linda and Bernie, mention they've been seeing a marriage counsellor. Although Ray is against the idea, he quickly adopts a cooperative attitude when they meet the therapist, Pamela.
When Ally's teacher, Miss Purcell, overhears Ray commenting about the kids' excessive workload, she invites Raymond to address the curriculum review board and gives him a mountain of material for review and evaluation.
Ray writes a eulogy for his father Frank, who hasn't died yet. In the eulogy, he tells a childhood story about watching his tough dad pet the family bunny named Hoppy. Unfortunately for Ray, Marie reads the eulogy and gets offended when she learns that Ray hasn't written one for her.
Ray fears something is wrong with him after he comes home from a night out with his friends and tells Debra that he didn't enjoy it. She thinks Ray is finally growing up.
After deciding to lend Robert $1,000 when he complains he's struggling with finances, Ray and Debra are surprised when Robert uses the money for a vacation to Las Vegas.
Ray moves his things out of his and Debra's bathroom and into the kids' bathroom so Debra has more space, but he soon regrets it when his dad and brother start teasing him and tell him that he is no longer the king of his own house.
Ray and Debra are excited to have finally met a couple, who are just like them. However, Ray starts having mixed feelings when their annoying 8 year-old son wreaks havoc around the Barone household.
Robert think he has finally found "the one," and her name is Angela, an international-trade lawyer. She's bright, speaks four languages, and clearly likes Robert. The girl goes on to endear herself to Debra by complimenting her lemon chicken. Ray is also smitten with Angela, until he sees something disturbing during dinner.
While Raymond, Robert, and Frank don't want to bring up the fact that Marie is having vision trouble, Debra decides to level with her and suggests she visit an eye doctor. When Marie gets a pair of glasses just in time for the holidays, she winds up spotting and pointing out everyone's physical insecurities.
Robert gives Ray a great idea on what to get Debra for Christmas, but he isn't very happy when Ray takes all the credit for it.
Boisterous Frank learns a difficult lesson in humility from his granddaughter, Ally. During a trip to the supermarket with Ray and Ally, Frank starts nibbling on some trail mix and is caught by a testy manager, and a heated argument ensues. Watching it all unfold is Ally, who becomes frightened by Frank's ranting.
Raymond's friend Andy tells him that Jerry Musso, a radio talk show host, hates him. While Raymond is in shock over this, Robert enjoys seeing him fall over like this.
The six-year on-again, off-again relationship between Robert and Amy is reaching a pivotal moment. Robert wants to propose to Amy, but there's one small formality the hopeful groom-to-be must take care of first: asking Amy's devout churchgoing parents for their daughter's hand in marriage.
Tired of being labelled the "evil witch" around the house, Debra convinces Ray that it's his turn to discipline the kids. While leaving to take Ally to a Frontier Girls meeting, Debra tells Ray that he must force the twins to clean up their room or they can't go out and play.
After Debra signs Ray up for charity work at the hospital without asking, he reluctantly agrees to go. However, he soon becomes a hit with the patients and starts spending more time there than at home, much to his Debra's dismay.
Amy's parents show up unexpectedly at their daughter's apartment on a Sunday morning. They want to talk Amy out of marrying Robert and take her home to Pennsylvania. They are surprised to see Robert there and shocked to learn that he often spends the night.
Yet another bump appears on the rocky road to Robert and Amy's wedding, when the bride-to-be puts her betrothed in charge of writing the wedding invitations. Ray and Frank can't believe Robert let himself get roped into planning the wedding, they nevertheless come up with a plan to help ensure that Robert will never have to help out with the wedding again.
Ray takes Ally over to her friend Molly's house for a sleepover. He is mortified when Molly's mother turns out to be Peggy, the same Frontier Girl troop scout leader that he had a run-in with doing the cookie sale last year. Things get awkward when she pats his rear after he helps her set up a tent for the girls.
Marie announces that Rose, the elderly lady living next door to her and Frank, has passed away. She is upset because Rose was the woman she had chosen for Frank as a replacement wife, if Marie should pass away first. Debra thinks it would be fun to fantasize about who would take her place.
Debra throws the bridal shower for Amy, but her good intentions get sidetracked by Marie's overzealous participation. This leads to a fight between the two and Marie winds up leaving. Debra then gets a little to much to drink and ends up falling a sleet in her car with the key still in the ignition. She is awoken by a police officer who arrests her for being drunk behind the wheel.
Ray and Debra wind up in a two-week stand-off over a suitcase.
Ray throws a lame bachelor party for Robert and is shamed by Debra, Marie, and Amy into throwing him a proper one at the lodge, which will also be attended by Amy's father and brother.
Robert and Amy exchange vows in a classic Barone family wedding ceremony.
Robert and Amy exchange vows in a classic Barone family wedding ceremony.
2003
Debra talks Ray into letting her join him on the golf course, after she once again realizes that they don't have fun together anymore.
Marie instantly tries to get the upper hand in her relationship with her new daughter-in-law when Amy and Robert return from their honeymoon, but Debra steps in, determined to stop Marie's meddling once and for all.
When Michael stays home from school two days in a row, Ray suspects that he simply hasn't done his homework, but the rest of the family have their own explanation for Michael's sudden aversion to school.
Debra and Ray are annoyed at the over-the-top affection Robert and Amy are expressing towards each other. In fact, Robert feels compelled to give Ray marriage advice and Amy does the same with Debra at the newly-wed couple's three months anniversary dinner.
Debra persuades Ray to hire Gianni to do some remodelling in their kitchen, but they both soon regret it due to their friend's laziness.
After Amy invites her brother Peter to stay for dinner, he makes himself at home on the couch and never leaves.
Ray and Debra get caught up in telling lies in order to cover up previous lies. When the lies snowball out of control, Marie picks up the scent and traces everything back to the initial lie.
After Debra's mother suggests throwing Debra an old-fashioned English tea party, Ray reluctantly agrees after she promises to do all the work. When Debra realizes Ray is planning something for her birthday, she suggests changing the theme to a Chinese banquet.
Robert and Amy convince their families to spend Thanksgiving together. When the Barones arrive at the Pennsylvania home of Amy's parents, they find that their differing family traditions encourage lots of lively conversation.
When the kids ruin Ray's dictionary, Frank shares the story of how Ray ruined his priced jazz collection. After trying to make amends for his childhood mistake, Ray discovers that he may not have been the culprit.
When Debra accepts a position at Frank's lodge to help plan a member recruitment party, Ray begins to resent how much time she is spending away from home.
After inadvertently leaving the twins home alone, Ray and Debra are impressed with Ally when she steps up and takes care of the twins until they return.
After realizing that Debra places bets with the kids on his questionable behavioural traits, Ray is insulted that his own children thinks he's a "doof."
Fed up with his wife's constant lateness, Ray leaves Debra at home rather than take her to the ESPY Awards. While Debra is seething over Ray's actions, Marie and Amy get into a heated debate with Frank and Robert when they air their own grievances about their wives' blatant disregard for the time.
Ray and Debra disagree over whether they should purchase an expensive dress for Ally to wear to a friend Molly's formal 13th. birthday party. Especially since Molly's mom is the woman that Ray loves to hate, Peggy.
Robert reveals that he has taken a second job selling home security systems, and that he has been asked to join the security firm full-time. But of course, this would mean retiring from the police force early.
Debra is hurt when Ray receives an honorary doctorate and thanks everyone except her in his acceptance speech.
Amy's parents put Robert on the defensive when they point out his compulsive habit of touching food to his chin before he eats it.
When the MacDougals are invited to spend Easter with the Barones, the two families attempt to bond over a 500-piece puzzle. While everyone else gets frustrated with the puzzle, Ray and Pat continue working on it until the wee hours of the night while sharing stories about themselves and their families.
When Robert informs Ray that Amy filled him in on some juicy gossip about him, Ray decides to get even with Debra by sharing some nasty secrets of his own.
Robert has been discovered. While he and Amy are out buying Chinese food, a modelling agent gives Robert his card. Robert and Amy tells everyone about the modelling opportunity and Robert later goes to the agency for his first profile shoot. Ray, who really wants to meet the models, especially the Swedish kind, accompanies Robert to the agency, but when they get there, everything has mysteriously disappeared.
A young man named Sam Gilula arrives at Frank and Marie's and everyone is surprised, when he and Frank fondly embrace. Sam explains to Ray and Robert that Frank had been an inspiration and a mentor to him when he was a young lad. The two are understandably in disbelief.
Robert and Ray end up with the mother of all guilt trips when they decide not to help their mother with a home project. The reason they skip out is so that they can land a prime spot on the golf course, by waiting in line in their car all night.
2001
The Barones clash even more than usual when they get a child's-eye view of all the bickering that goes on in the family. The fireworks begin when the whole family attends an open house at first-grader Michael's school, during which the kids all read stories that they've written themselves.
When Debra tells Ray that he's too selfish in bed and that she wants a little variety, he goes out and buys an adults only board game to spice things up.
Frank is so green with envy that he forces Marco to choose either Marie or him as a friend. Meanwhile, Ray sides with Frank because he doesn't approve of a married woman having a male friend.
When Ray gets hit on at the airport after losing his wedding ring, Debra gets jealous and tries to get back at him by going to the supermarket without her wedding ring but her plan backfires on her when nobody pays attention to her.
Ray and Debra are horrified when Marie presents them with an abstract sculpture she made in art class, and which resemblance a part of the female anatomy. Frank, on the other hand, is totally mesmerized by Marie's creation.
Ray tells Frank that he and Debra fell down the stairs so Frank tries fixing the stairs but ends up in the hospital. Ray feels so guilty that he tells Frank the truth, that he and Debra fell out of bed while having sex.
Marie and Debra set up Amy with Gianni to get Robert jealous so he'll want to get back together with Amy but their plan backfires when Amy and Gianni hit it off.
While Debra and Ray watch their sons play, Ray notices that Geoffery is having trouble getting the hang of the game. Ray learns the hard way that his son's lack of ability shouldn't interfere with either of them enjoying the game.
It's the first Thanksgiving since Debra's parents divorced, and Debra is thrilled that both her parents have agreed to have dinner with the Barone family. However, she soon learns that her father is bringing a date. Everyone is horrified except Debra's mother, who thinks it's just great.
Robert meets a beautiful woman who is a big fan of Ray's sports column and who mistakes him for Ray. When he doesn't correct her, he has no choice but to involve Ray in a complicated plot to keep the woman from learning Robert's true identity.
While enjoying a college football game, Frank catches a football from a record setting field goal and refuses to give it back. When word of this gets back to the local sports community via a talk radio show, he becomes a wanted man among sports fans.
When Marie receives a Christmas letter from a relative detailing how wonderful her life is and how well her kids are doing, it drives Marie insane with jealousy. Later, when Marie shows Debra the letter, the two join forces to compose a Barone family Christmas letter.
When Debra grudgingly agrees to let Ray be more involved in daily decision making, Ray starts grocery shopping for things that he likes. Debra even lets him choose where the family will go for their next vacation. However, these newfound powers quickly become Ray's undoing.
Held captive at Frank and Marie's during a snowstorm, Debra, Ray, and Amy actually find themselves having a great time. Then Debra makes a nasty comment to Frank which totally upsets the good mood. This causes Marie to defend Frank and finally reveal her true feelings for Debra.
When Ray learns that scout troop leader Peggy and her daughter have targeted his parents house as a spot to make a big sale for themselves during the Frontier Girls' selling competition, while Ray and his daughter Ally were assigned to a terrible spot, it means war.
Robert is ecstatic when he is up for a job at the FBI. That is, until he learns that Marie's intrusive ways may be his undoing.
Thinking it would be hilarious to show the party-goers a typical day in the life of Frank and Marie, Ray and Debra do a dead-on impersonation of the two that brings down the house at the party. But when Frank and Marie turn the tables and do a Ray and Debra imitation, the couple finds it much less funny.
When Debra stumbles across a cassette tape that contains a message from Ray's college girlfriend, she wants to know why he has saved it all of these years.
Ray has been arming himself with knowledge and has been preparing to speak with Ally about the facts of life only to find that Ally's interest has changed from where babies come from to the meaning of life.
Debra decides to run for school president, but Ray isn't sure he can handle the twins by himself during all school meetings, so he votes against her.
Marie gets upset when she hears Ray calling Debra's mother, "mom". Ray tells Debra that maybe she should start calling Marie "mom". When Debra does so in front of Lois, she gets upset because she doesn't think that Debra should be calling Marie "mom" since she isn't her mother.
Debra takes offence when Marie accuses her of being rude and the two wind up fighting and not speaking to each other. When Ray tries to make things better by getting each of the women to apologize to the other, he only makes a bad situation worse.
The feud between Debra and Marie continues. Ray realizes that he can use the feud to get Debra to do almost anything for him, dragging Frank into exploiting the situation with Marie.
After Marie has Frank return an anniversary gift given to them by Ray and Debra, the two reminisce about the first time they slept together. An encounter Marie had tried to stop by inviting a priest to Debra's department.
